Lovely hidden restaurant/rooftop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with awesome views of NYC. Service was slow but friendly I believe they were short-staffed The spicy Mezcal Margarita I had was delicious and hit the spot The ambiance is great for a date and dinner with girlfriends. Children are allowed. Prices are reasonable and the food is tasty Management should add more decor to the outside area and the tables could be set up for dining there were no utensils The dishes I enjoyed were the yucca fries, the Tuna tartare and the chips and salsa. The tres leche was too sweet. I would definitely come back when the weather gets warmer. read more

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Pretty good place for brunch with really great cocktails. The highlights of this place are the view and ambiance, the guac and the cocktails. While we did have a larger party, the service was very slow. Understanding there were not a lot of people working or evening brunching when we went, it was just 1 bartender and drinks took quite a while to get out, and we almost were late to our next activity because of the short staffing at the bar. The guac was really excellent. Great salt content, good texture and yummy chips! Great starter with the margarita, which was objectively one of the better ones I've had. I ended up getting the tomatillo gimlet and it was REALLY tasty. If you like a dirty gin martini, this is the right cocktail for you. The food was very mediocre and very under seasoned. The birria benedict with chipotle hollandaise you'd think would be incredible, but there was no birria flavor on the meat, the chipotle smoke was absent from the hollandaise and the potatoes were not much better than TJs frozen homefries. Even when we asked for hot sauce, they sent over a mango habanero sauce that had a good amount of heat but almost no flavor or salt. There was a dry rub hot sauce? It just tasted like sour / bitter chili sauce that you get in the grocery store. For how much brunch ended up being, the food was a huge miss. I get not wanting to make something overly spicy or salty for the masses, but the things I liked best on my benedict were the poached eggs and the corn cakes. Everything else was missing any flavor. Vibes and drinks are great, but I won't be back for brunch any time soon. read more

elNico - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Great sweeping views on both sides of the rooftop bar, sitting on top of the Penny hotel. It's good for big parties if you'd like to host a birthday dinner here, as I saw nearby parties do, or to come enjoy a sweeping view of Manhattan while sipping on a drink and doing a little work. Decor is really gorgeous and creates the cozy, maximalist color fantasy of a fancy dinner party. All the furniture brings great joy to see all around you. Both times I went, they had a live DJ on the weekend. It didn't get too crowded throughout the night and you should be okay to come without a reservation. Mole flights were interesting and a wide range of flavor. I do wish there were more plantains or they offered a side of more chips to go with it because the number of sauces were not in proportion to the dippers. The drinks were good; I'd just go with the classic margarita. read more

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This was my second time come and once again the food and staff were both amazing. I'll def be back.

elNico is a pretty aesthetic rooftop bar inside The Penny Hotel. Upon entering, I really liked their decor and colorful space, which was still light and airy. The outdoor space has a pretty nice view of the NY skyline, but it was closed for a private event the day we came to check it out. My friend and I came here just for drinks, so no review of the food. I had the Millennial Pause ($16) while she had the Fortune's Fool ($16). I wax so intrigued with the description on the menu, but unfortunately the drink fell a bit flat for me. I didn't taste any corn in mine nor the banana in the other. The drinks were pretty standard despite being pretty. It's a nice rooftop in the east side of Williamsburg, but not too special. It seems that their outdoor is dog friendly, which is a plus for me though. read more

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I kicked off my Mother's Day weekend with drinks at El Nico in the Penny Hotel, and it was the perfect start. The space is absolutely beautiful--bright, colorful, and full of great energy. It's the kind of place that instantly lifts your mood. The bar staff was so friendly, and the drinks (I tried the espresso martini) were on point. A special shoutout to Iñaki at the bar, who recommended the Mezcalrita--it was so good, I drank it all night! His service and vibe really made the experience even better. Whether you're celebrating something special or just looking for a gorgeous spot to unwind, El Nico is a must-visit in Williamsburg. I'll definitely be back! read more

elNico - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Easily booked a table for dinner on a Friday night in early April, but I'm sure that gets harder to do during the summer. Great chews and views - and drinks! I tried: + Wonderful nothings + fortune's fool + Barbarella + mambo no. Vibe + Ceviche + short rib barbacoa + gringa al pastor taco + Quesabirria + Tetela + Churros The best cocktails were the Wonderful nothings and fortune's fool, and the food highlights were the quesabirria and tetela. Ceviche was my next favorite. Barbacoa was great, but needs tortillas or something because it's just a giant hunk of meat. Al pastor taco is also worth getting. Great service, too. Would come back even just for drinks! Maximum rooftop vibes if you sit outside on the terrace. read more

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I met up with friends here. The experience was great. The drinks were fun. The appetizers were yummy. The service was very good. The ambiance was amazing. It was raining the day of my reservation so I was prepared to be disappointed but I really enjoyed my time at this rooftop restaurant with live DJ. The only thing missing was a dance floor! read more

elNico - Ceviche - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Good tacos and attentive service , great rooftop views ! Excellent drinks . It's on the rooftop of the penny . We didn't love the churros . They were okay read more

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I made a reservation at ElNico days in advance for a party of 6 to celebrate my birthday. I noted a food allergy for one of my guests and confirmed the reservation the day before. From the start, things went downhill. One of my friends arrived early and was told we'd be seated outdoors, but when I got there, the hostess seemed confused and asked "table for two?" despite me repeating my name and time. We were sat indoors, and she forgot to give us menus. When we finally got someone's attention, we were moved to a different outdoor table, not the main rooftop, but a side area. Service was completely unorganized. We had multiple servers, and our last waitress was rude, impatient, and dismissive--especially when we reminded her of the allergy we had noted. She acted like it was an inconvenience. The food was bland and underwhelming. The tacos were bite-sized but were packed with flavor. The drinks were disappointing. Three of us got the Jamaican Sunset, one had a passion fruit margarita, and I had a guava cocktail that tasted like straight smoke. It was undrinkable. When the server asked how it was, I told her honestly I didn't like it. Thankfully, the manager kindly came over and took it off the bill. Still, for what was supposed to be a special birthday celebration, it was a major letdown. Beautiful decor, but the service, drinks, and overall experience missed the mark. I won't be back. read more

elNico - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I'd rate elNico four and a half stars. Mexican restaurant located on the rooftop of the Penny Hotel. They boast an enormous mezcal selection. We walked in on a gorgeous weeknight. We were seated just in term for a beautiful sunset dinner. An incredible view of the sun wanning behind the Manhattan skyline. I'd recommend coming here for a drink and watching the sun go down for an evening. Lots of outdoor seating plus a semi enclosed space. Wonderful layout. The bar has one of the best mezcal selections that I've come across. They also have one of the most knowledgeable bartenders I've ever spoken to regarding mezcal. She introduced me to a brand called La Venenosa which seems to sort a variety of distilled spirits from Mexico in small batches. The two pours she recommended were outstanding. A very impressive selection. Food wise, we started with the guacamole and chips. Seems like a great batch of avocados were recently imported, so it was no surprise that this guac was superb. Nicely seasoned and served with some deep fried chips. Guac was probably the best good item. Next we had the mole sampler. It included three types plus ultra crispy plantain chips. There was a traditional mole negro, a nutty mole, a mole verde, a pumpkin mole, and an horchata sauce. Fun to try the variety. We also ordered a couple tacos which were served alongside the mole sampler. We had the shrimp tacos and the broccolini tacos. I liked that they served them with the sampler as it presented the opportunity to dip the tacos in the sauces. For the main course, we shared the short rib. Would have skipped this item in hindsight. Service was great. Staff was attentive and accommodating. They kept our table clean and our water carafe filled. Pacing of the food was good too. As I mentioned earlier, the bartender was incredibly knowledgeable. There were three single occupancy restrooms. I believe they were all handicap accessible. I would definitely return to enjoy mezcal and watch another sunset. read more

This was a very nice rooftop. I went to an event called vibes n vino. For the first hour or 2 they only served wine during the event and later on opened the bar for other hard spirit options. The indoor outdoor rooftop was not open since it was too pretty cold at the time of the event. I'm not sure what the vibe is like outside of this vino event but it was really close the metropolitan L train station, literally a few steps away. A bit out of the way for me to go back but it was cute. And the bathrooms are color themed so you walk inside and it may be completely pink, yellow, red, etc. Really interesting and funky. My eyes were struggling to adjust lol read more

elNico - Vibes n Vino - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The place was really packed on Saturday. Im not exactly sure if they were short staffed or if the service was extremely slow. We ended up just having one round of drinks and chips, salsa and guacamole. The drinks came about 20 minutes in but the guac took about 45 minutes so after that we just decided to leave and eat elsewhere. Also the guac is topped with chive oil which gave it an extremely strong onion flavor on top of the raw onions that typically come in guac. read more

elNico - guacamole, chips, salsa and vodka soda - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Server slipped a note into my jacket pocket, which made me uncomfortable and it felt very unprofessional. Wouldn't feel comfortable returning to the establishment. read more

I had a great dinner experience. The rooftop restaurant is eclectically designed with wood, stone, floral and latin influences. My server Axel was extremely attentive and made great recommendations. I thoroughly enjoyed the guacamole and the short rib "machete" shaped quesadilla. The Mango Old Fashion and their signature Margarita were second to none. Make this your Mexican cuisine go to in Williamsburg read more

TLDR: Easily one of my favorite places in the city for cocktails. Came in a group of friends on recommendation of Dial A Drunk. We basically ordered everything on the menu. Of what we had, my favorites were the Bidi Bidi Bom Fashioned and the Santo Pepino. I didn't see it on the menu but if they ever bring back the Passion Berry Negroni, that is also a definite must order! Tried a lot of the seasonal menu as well and those were just as great. Food was great as well. Felt like a crime seeing how expensive the tlayuda was but it was quite good. I think the guac is quite good as well. Service was attentive and friendly. Interior is quite cute. Would bring a date or a group of friends here. Overall: I feel like this place rivals many of the 50 Best Bars I've been to around the world! read more

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Such a cute rooftop bar at my hotel. My bf and I loved it so much we went two nights in a row for drinks before dinner. Beautiful view but I wish I was able to step outside to get the full experience. It's winter so covered, but you can still see a lot. Decor was adorable. The bartenders were very accommodating and friendly. He made up his own shot of vodka with grapefruit. Absolutely delicious! read more

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Everything here... was just a little off. They were out of several of the drinks, and out of most of the ingredients for some of the other drinks. My drink came with only 2 of the 7 listed ingredients. They still charged me $17. They didn't have the ingredients for their only vegetarian taco so they just put some avocado in a tortilla and called it a day. Literally just cold, sliced avocado. On a tortilla.. for $6. It didn't even come with cheese. What are you doing? We ordered appetizers, which somehow came last... and weren't very good. How did you manage to make guacamole taste bad? The salsas were flavorless. And $2 each. The ceviche came with 3 tortilla chips. It was fine, the sauce it was in was the star. The birria taco was very good but was also the size of my thumb, yet came with an entire cup of consomme. The rock shrimp taco was dry and bland. The service was subpar. It seemed like no one really cared if we enjoyed our experience (and we did not). We asked for the check and 20 minutes by without it. Other staff just walked past us and averted eye contact when we tried to ask for it. They certainly weren't crowded but our waitress literally only came by to drop off food. The atmosphere was OK. It's a lovely view. Definitely don't plan to be back & don't know if we came on an off day or whatever but im not sure how people enjoy their meals here. read more

Super cute rooftop with beautiful sky view. Extensive tequila and mezcal bar menu, cocktails were boozy and delicious. Appetizer was really good. - Guac was done perfect, we ordered 3 times! - Oyster was really fresh that we couldn't resist to order another plate. - Scallop YUM. Entree however didn't stand out as much. - Steak has a lot of fats almost too much. - Bone Marrow was somehow served lukewarm and dried that there's was nothing really. I'd say drinks and bites outdoor would be perfect. read more

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ElNico is delightful! The ambiance is next level & the decor is truly something. I really enjoyed my life bites & drinks. The oyster taco was my favorite, by far, but I also enjoyed the scallops crudo. Definitely try their cucumber cocktail - it's basically summer in a glass and was delicious. Extra points because this place is dog friendly too! It's actually named after the chef's dog, which is pretty precious if you ask me. read more

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This is a 2 star for food and I added a star because the atmosphere, and the service were really great. Very cute place with exciting decor, comfy seating and a friendly if not slightly disorganized but still attentive staff. All in, I would come back for the view and just order some tequila on the rocks. 2 stars for the food - it was so meh. The prices were great, but tacos were bland. We had a larger group so I was able to try a lot of things. I tried the carnitas, steak, shrimp and al pastor tacos and they were all greasy and a bit sad. My friends had the Elote and the Machete, and said they were good, but I can't speak to those. The drinks were also, all out of whack. I tried the Barbarella, Besos, Jamaican Sunset and the Wonderful Nothings. All either too sweet or just weird, the Besos especially, just tasted soapy. The highlight was the churro (hot, sweet and good cinnamon flavor) and the chips and guac. Come for the view, chips and JUST the agave spirits. They need to get their food and cocktail game in order. read more

Don't come here if you are black..... Just go to another rooftop boo. This place is on top of the Penny Hotel which the view is amazing. Even the ambience is beautiful and comforting. HOWEVER, the service was abysmal. I made a reservation and the dry hostess with a bland expression told me where to sit. I sat there for ten minutes before I flagged someone down with a white t-shirt & jeans. Prior he was asking how everyone was doing and looked dead in my eye... didnt say anything. Come to find out he was the manager... he asked how I was.. I told him I was okay but I was waiting for a while. He responded with an attitude that alot of people called out and he was running the bar, customers and all this stuff. I apologized (which HE DID NOT) but what does that have to do with the customer service? I then asked to sit outside which he did allow me to do so but still i was waiting. The waitress finally came to me AFTER she attended to other people who was already there before me. She was "nice" but not no five star. I got a mocktail with guacamole & chips which were really good. But again it took a while for service. They also had a limited menu with an already limited menu. The only top service were the bussers, they were genuinely kind & attentive. The server kept asking me if I want to close my tab... mind you I ordered another drink which she didnt even bring me. I felt so uncomfortable I had to ask her did she want me to leave... I dont understand. She responded noooo you can stay but the tabs are being closed. I would not go back here because in the Summer of 2025 why should I feel uncomfortable in an establishment I wanted to go to so I can relieve the day i had. It's disgusting to say the least. Small white tshirt manager & annoying prissy fake nice waiter was not my cup of tea, energy sucks and I will never support this establishment. BUT the views from the rooftop is astonishing. Go inside the penny hotel, take the elevator to the 11th floor, go outside, take an ig picture with the amazing view in the back and leave right after read more

Staff appeared confused. Came up to the table multiple times to deliver drinks that weren't ours and ours took a long time to come out. There was a hair in the ice cube in one of the drinks. Wouldn't go back. read more

A delightful evening in Penny hotel, Williamsburg!! We went there for my friend's birthday. Great vibe and atmosphere :) Food experience there was AWESOME. Like a modern Mexican foods and you would have never imagined how herby, fresh they are! I got Michelada and 100% my taste!! My friend got Santo Pepino and that was beautiful looks and tastes great. We Started off with Guacamole and they are so fresh and nice savory. We got Shrimp empanadas and Crab Tlayuda which is like a pizza. That was full of surprise!!! They are both amazing but the Tlayuda took my heart. Beautiful looking some flowers going on.. So fresh and flavorful with yogurt! Just the empanadas was a bit pricey but overall, staffs were friendly, nice view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan skyline.. will definitely come back for Brunch as well!! :) read more

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This experience was so amazing! You take the elevator up to this incredible rooftop where the host greets you with a smile. We were a bit early for our res so we got a drink while we waited at the bar. This place is swanky! So cool and happening. I got a cocktail with gin and lacto-fermented cucumbers. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. The views were great, the seats were comfy cozy, can't say anything about the food because we didn't try. Overall, great experience! read more

elNico - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Came here for drinks before dinner after reading the reviews! I'm prefacing this review with the fact we just went for drinks and saw the reviews were sub par for dinner. The vibe of this place is definitely the thing that makes it 5 stars. The elevator to get in sets the mood with the lighting and the view is absolutely insane! We got off menu drinks and they were nice enough to make them for us. The chips and guac were solid (especially for the 10 dollar price point) I would say, go for the view! read more

elNico - Chips and guac - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Love restaurant at the rooftop of the Penny hotel. Came here for a sunset dinner and got did not disappoint. The staff was excellent particularly Victor. He was excellent and charming! We had the guacamole which was excellent, the caviar, the tzvaki, and then skirt steak. All of the small plates sampled where great. Was a bit confused with the mail which came with skirt steak and some bone marrow. The bone marrow was meant to be eaten with tortillas but the ration of bone marrow to tortillas didn't work. All of the drinks were delicious and more on the sweet side. If you have a shellfish allergy this restaurant may not be for you as many dishes were shellfish based! Will def go back for the food and the view of the skyline read more

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Fantastic rooftop, awesome service! What more do you ask for? That is walking distance from central Williamsburg and the pier. You got that too! read more

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We loved our first meal here though we noted the restaurant seemed to have taken a sleeping pill. At least they were friendly! And the food has promise. The whole enterprise, in this gorgeous space, seemed promising. Our second dinner here was fairly disastrous. Small things first. We asked for tap water but sparkling water arrived. They weren't listening. We ordered an entree but A VERY LONG TIME LATER they informed us they were out of it. The bathroom was broken. I had to wait on line with soap gelled all over my hands for the next bathroom to wash my hands off... My main issue is that half...literally half...the items we ordered off the menu never arrived at all. I'm talking appetizers, entrees, rounds of cocktails. Just disappeared into the ether. The food that DID arrive was either mediocre or terrible. The menu is fairly limited. We were stuck with the fish entree, which quite honestly, was disgusting. It was poorly seasoned, bony, flavorless, with only half its plated ingredients present. (I think on the left side?) Maybe the restaurant should re-brand itself and call itself LEFT or HALF or something like that. IDK??!! The thing I may never forget is an image of that loose black eyeball rolling itself around the plate, DEAR GOD. read more

I had researched this place before a trip to NYC, and got a reservation weeks in advance. We showed up the night of (after getting a reservation reminder and text confirmation) and the entire restaurant was closed for a private party. I know that some restaurants use third-party reservation systems, but taking the subway out to Brooklyn just for this reservation and getting turned away was very frustrating. I suggest calling the restaurant to confirm if you are making a trip out there. read more

My girl friends and I came here to drink only and all of our drinks ended up being amazing! El Nico had a DJ playing who was playing the best music that was very house-vibes. If you go in the middle of July, they also have the carnival going on outside which is a fun time after you eat and drink here. read more

elNico - Santo pepino - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Have been here multiple times but they recently changed the menu and removed my favorite drink (Santo Pepino). Waitress was very kind and attentive, but the food runner would drop food at our table and leave without explaining what it was (we got multiple tacos and wern't sure which were which). Super cool vibe and view from the main rooftop is great, but the huge plants and bushes covering the view in the greenhouse don't make sense to me as people come to a rooftop for the view... so not sure why you would cover that. Sad that this was once one of my favorite spots but probably won't run back unless they brought back the Santo Pepino. read more

The food, drinks, and views were amazing. But I would not recommend women to come here. My friend asked the server to charge her phone, and when we got home and was looking through her photos, we found a photo that the waiter had taken using her phone, asking her to follow him on Instagram. That is really creepy and unwarranted in any way. There was no indication what so ever that she was interested in him, she literally barely spoke to him outside of ordering food, asking for phone to be charged and paying the bill. read more

I'll start off by saying the ambiance here is top notch - great views, chic decor, and an outside terrace that adds up to the perfect Brooklyn rooftop. However, the service and food leave a lot to be desired at the price point. The night I went they were hosting a pop up event with a dj so I suppose it was busier than usual which could explain the situation. We started with some drinks, which were decent at $18 a pop. Followed with guacamole and shrimp tacos. The tacos were pretty small so although the order came with two each, we had to order more food to feel satisfied. We ordered the birria tacos and caramelized onion tlayuda but after 30 min there was no sign of either. We flagged down our waiter who informed us the ticket got lost and he would have to replace the order. We then got the tlayuda and never saw the birria tacos. Definitely understand situations like this happen, but I left still hungry and a little annoyed. While I did enjoy the shrimp tacos and guac, overall this place is a no from me. Maybe go for the happy hour deals and views but that's about it. read more

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The food was just alright, tbh. So I wouldn't go out of your way to have a meal here. But what I would say is come for the cocktails and the view (if the weather permits). Their servers are also highly skilled and some of the cocktails (especially the large ones!) come with some fanfare (you'll see lol). So file this under: Spots to come for happy hour when the weather is nice (and try to snag a seat outside to soak in that view!). read more

I booked this venue for a 40-person birthday party. The furniture and lighting is amazing, and I loved getting photos out on the rooftop during golden hour and sunset. You can see the WTC and Empire State Building as a nice backdrop. The cocktails were good, though not particularly strong. The fruit salad was more like a yogurt fruit bowl, though it was appetizing. I loved this place and the staff were very helpful and accommodating. Free coat check also available. read more

Now this is a great cool spot..the atmosphere..the views..the food(I had the tacos)which was great & the staff was very helpful and professional..I enjoyed the music and the scenery..so yourself a favor and go visit this place read more

Location, unobstructed view all over, courtesy of the staff...lovely place. So glad we found this gem. read more

Wow. We came here for happy hour and everything was lovely. The space is so cute, inside and outside. The employees were all so friendly and service was a 10/10. We came for happy hour and oysters are $1! We got 48 lol. The guacamole was also pretty good. Highly recommend this spot, especially for happy hour! read more

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This place was very cute but I found it to be mid. The drinks are good and the service is amazing. Small plates and not many options on the menu. The outdoor rooftop area is small, but they have a free rooms sections read more